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M. Hanssens

Bio: M. Hanssens is an academic researcher from Royal Museum for Central Africa. The author has contributed to research in topics: Cichlid & Telmatochromis temporalis. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 13 publications receiving 147 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined patterns of hybridization and introgression in Ophthalmotilapia spp., a genus of cichlid fish from Lake Tanganyika, using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from all four species in the genus and including specimens from over 800 km of shoreline.
Abstract: With an increasing number of reported cases of hybridization and introgression, interspecific gene flow between animals has recently become a widely accepted and broadly studied phenomenon. In this study, we examine patterns of hybridization and introgression in Ophthalmotilapia spp., a genus of cichlid fish from Lake Tanganyika, using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from all four species in the genus and including specimens from over 800 km of shoreline. These four species have very different, partially overlapping distribution ranges, thus allowing us to study in detail patterns of gene flow between sympatric and allopatric populations of the different species. We show that a significant proportion of individuals of the lake-wide distributed O. nasuta carry mitochondrial and/or nuclear DNA typical of other Ophthalmotilapia species. Strikingly, all such individuals were found in populations living in sympatry with each of the other Ophthalmotilapia species, strongly suggesting that this pattern originated by repeated and independent episodes of genetic exchange in different parts of the lake, with unidirectional introgression occurring into O. nasuta. Our analysis rejects the hypotheses that unidirectional introgression is caused by natural selection favoring heterospecific DNA, by skewed abundances of Ophthalmotilapia species or by hybridization events occurring during a putative spatial expansion in O. nasuta. Instead, cytonuclear incompatibilities or asymmetric behavioral reproductive isolation seem to have driven repeated, unidirectional introgression of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA into O. nasuta in different parts of the lake.

61 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The most important diagnostic features distinguishing the genusOphthalmotilapia from the other genera within the tribe Ectodini are listed.

27 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that DNA barcode data provide a measure of genetic variability that facilitates the inventory of underexplored ichthyofaunae and show that taxonomic scrutiny, associated with revisions and new species descriptions, is indispensable to delimit species and build a coherent reference library.
Abstract: The Congolese and Lower Guinean ichthyological provinces are understudied hotspots of the global fish diversity. Here, we barcoded 741 specimens from the Lower and Middle Congo River and from three major drainage basins of the Lower Guinean ichthyological province, Kouilou-Niari, Nyanga and Ogowe. We identified 194 morphospecies belonging to 82 genera and 25 families. Most morphospecies (92.8%) corresponded to distinct clusters of DNA barcodes. Of the four morphospecies present in both neighbouring ichthyological provinces, only one showed DNA barcode divergence <2.5%. A small fraction of the fishes barcoded here (12.9% of the morphospecies and 16.1% of the barcode clusters representing putative species) were also barcoded in a previous large-scale DNA analysis of freshwater fishes of the Lower Congo published in 2011 (191 specimens, 102 morphospecies). We compared species assignments before and after taxonomic updates and across studies performed by independent research teams and observed that most cases of inconsistent species assignments were due to unknown diversity (undescribed species and unknown intraspecific variation). Our results report more than 17 putative new species and show that DNA barcode data provide a measure of genetic variability that facilitates the inventory of underexplored ichthyofaunae. However, taxonomic scrutiny, associated with revisions and new species descriptions, is indispensable to delimit species and build a coherent reference library.

21 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Telmatochromis brachygnathus sp.n.
Abstract: Telmatochromis brachygnathus sp.n. is described from the southern and central parts of Lake Tanganyika. It can be distinguished from the similar T. temporalis mainly by its smaller mouth. Morphological distinct populations were found in both species.

16 citations

15 Mar 2016
TL;DR: A review is made of the Clarias species known from the Lower Congo and from the Pool Malebo (Congo Basin) and a revised synonymy for C. ngola and C. Lualae is proposed.
Abstract: A review is made of the Clarias species known from the Lower Congo and from the Pool Malebo (Congo Basin). Six valid species are recognized for the Lower Congo and the Pool Malebo; these are C. gariepinus, C. platycephalus, C. camerunensis, C. gabonensis, C. buthupogon and C. angolensis. Diagnostics and species descriptions were updated with redefined or corrected diagnostic characters, and a key to the Clarias in the area was made. A revised synonymy for C. ngola and C. Lualae is proposed.

15 citations


Cited by
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Journal Article
Fumio Tajima1
30 Oct 1989-Genomics
TL;DR: It is suggested that the natural selection against large insertion/deletion is so weak that a large amount of variation is maintained in a population.

11,521 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a review of known cases of mito-nuclear discordance in animal systems and summarize the biogeographic patterns in each instance and identify common drivers of discordance.
Abstract: Combining nuclear (nuDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers has improved the power of molecular data to test phylogenetic and phylogeographic hypotheses and has highlighted the limitations of studies using only mtDNA markers. In fact, in the past decade, many conflicting geographic patterns between mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers have been identified (i.e. mito-nuclear discordance). Our goals in this synthesis are to: (i) review known cases of mito-nuclear discordance in animal systems, (ii) to summarize the biogeographic patterns in each instance and (iii) to identify common drivers of discordance in various groups. In total, we identified 126 cases in animal systems with strong evidence of discordance between the biogeographic patterns obtained from mitochondrial DNA and those observed in the nuclear genome. In most cases, these patterns are attributed to adaptive introgression of mtDNA, demographic disparities and sex-biased asymmetries, with some studies also implicating hybrid zone movement, human introductions and Wolbachia infection in insects. We also discuss situations where divergent mtDNA clades seem to have arisen in the absence of geographic isolation. For those cases where foreign mtDNA haplotypes are found deep within the range of a second taxon, data suggest that those mtDNA haplotypes are more likely to be at a high frequency and are commonly driven by sex-biased asymmetries and/or adaptive introgression. In addition, we discuss the problems with inferring the processes causing discordance from biogeographic patterns that are common in many studies. In many cases, authors presented more than one explanation for discordant patterns in a given system, which indicates that likely more data are required. Ideally, to resolve this issue, we see important future work shifting focus from documenting the prevalence of mito-nuclear discordance towards testing hypotheses regarding the drivers of discordance. Indeed, there is great potential for certain cases of mitochondrial introgression to become important natural systems within which to test the effect of different mitochondrial genotypes on whole-animal phenotypes.

1,112 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Mistletoe lacks an author’s index, limiting the value of the book for anyone looking for specific papers, and will be of value to ethnobotanists, anyone interested in alternative medicines, and students of mistletoes and parasitic plants.
Abstract: ‘‘Gentlemen don’t need mistletoe’’ said the Christmas whiskey billboard I saw recently in Florida, a garish reminder of how much mistletoe lore is embedded in western society. Mistletoe The Genus Viscum, one in the series of medicinal and aromatic plants for industry and academic researchers, centers on the mistletoe in this advertisement, the common European mistletoe,Viscum album. There are helpful discussions on African, Asian, and Argentine mistletoes and their uses but the corpus of the book deals with V. album. Viscum album, considered sacred by the Druids, is no doubt the most widely used parasitic angiosperm for various health concoctions. As a result, much has been learned about its biochemistry and pharmaceutical potential. A great deal of the work on the culture and utilization ofV. album has been done by investigators at Institute Hiscia Center for Cancer Research in Switzerland where votaries of Rudolf Steiner’s distinct form of homeopathy have used mistletoe extracts (‘‘Iscador’’) for many years in cancer treatment. Mistletoe collected from less common hosts are considered to have greater efficacy in preparation of Iscador. As a result, there is a helpful chapter on culturing V. album which is not as difficult as might be imagined for an obligate parasite. Most of the chapters deal with the medicinal aspects of mistletoe including toxicology, clinical aspects, chemistry, and biochemistry emphasizing the lectins which are one of the more desirable compounds produced by the parasite. I found the treatment by Bu ̈ssing (Biological and pharmacological properties of Viscum album L.) helpful because it reviews the link between folk and modern medicine. However, several relevant papers were omitted which are included in a recent excellent review of mistletoes (Watson 2001). Like many books with a diversity of authors, the quality of chapters varies. Obviously produced as a reference volume, Mistletoe lacks an extensive index. Especially aggravating is the lack of an author’s index, limiting the value of the book for anyone looking for specific papers. These days, $70 for a hardbound monograph is reasonable. Color images are well-produced but some of the black and white figures are blurry in my copy. This volume will be of value to ethnobotanists, anyone interested in alternative medicines, and students of mistletoes and parasitic plants. LITERATURE CITED

752 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
08 Mar 2007-Zootaxa
TL;DR: A checklist of Recent and fossil catfishes (Order Siluriformes) is presented, summarizing taxonomic literature published through 2005, and one new name is proposed herein: Clariallabes teugelsi, as a replacement for Clarias (Allabenchelys) dumerili longibarbis David & Poll, 1937.
Abstract: A checklist of Recent and fossil catfishes (Order Siluriformes) is presented, summarizing taxonomic literature published through 2005. From 4624 nominal species group names and 810 genus group names, 3093 species are recognized as valid, and are distributed among 478 genera and 36 families. Distributional summaries are provided for each species, and nomenclatural synonymies, including relevant information on all name-bearing types, are included for all taxa. One new name is proposed herein: Clariallabes teugelsi, as a replacement for Clarias (Allabenchelys) dumerili longibarbis David & Poll, 1937, which is preoccupied by Clarias longibarbis Worthington, 1933, but has been treated as a valid species of Clariallabes by Teugels. Acrochordonichthys melanogaster Bleeker, 1854, is designated as type species of Acrochordonichthys Bleeker, 1857, inasmuch as no earlier valid designation has been found. A new genus Pseudobagarius , is proposed for the “ pseudobagarius group” of species formerly placed in Akysis . The status of 228 species group names remains unresolved and 31 names based on otoliths ascribed to catfishes are listed but not placed into the checklist. The current emphasis given to catfish taxonomy at present is likely to result in a dramatic increase in the total number of valid taxa as well as major changes in the membership of some of the higher level taxa recognized here.

719 citations

20 Aug 2009
TL;DR: DNA条形码技术的出现可以更好的帮助鉴别这些物种,了解其分支来源,甚至可步预知其进化方向。
Abstract: 中国拥有数目庞大、种类繁多的动植物,也有很多珍贵、濒危生物,这些更是异常宝贵的科学资源。DNA条形码技术的出现可以更好的帮助鉴别这些物种,了解其分支来源,甚至可以预知其进化方向。笔者简述了DNA条形码的技术原理与操作步骤及这项技术的产生与发展情况;简要列出了DNA条形码发展过程中的重要进步与研究相对集中的物种;概述了DNA条形码的应用途径及目前DNA条形码研究中存在的主要问题、矛盾、研究思路与发展方向,并对其发展前景做出展望。

488 citations